Sukkot at The Weber School

Under the guidance of Rabbi Adam Mayer, dean of tenth-grade students and Mashpia Ruchani (spiritual and religious counselor), Weber students and faculty transformed the school sukkah into a joyful and welcoming space. Colorful paper garlands with students’ handwritten Rosh Hashanah prayers for a sweet New Year joined autumnal and symbolic decorations, draping the sukkah with their personal hopes and blessings.

Throughout the holiday, students gathered in the sukkah to shake the arba minim (lulav, etrog, hadas, and aravah), to learn, reflect, and share meals together. Students and faculty loved having classes in the sukkah, learning and connecting with each other — and a bit of sunshine — in a joyful outdoor setting. To add some unique flavors (literally) to this year’s festivities, students enjoyed a special Sukkot lunch featuring a beloved Lower East Side classic: Green’s Chocolate Babka. Straight from Brooklyn, this world-class pastry offered a sweet and nostalgic taste of Jewish culinary tradition.

The celebration culminated with Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah, as students and faculty filled the Eitan Force Athletic Complex with music and dancing. This year, the joy carried a deeper resonance as the community celebrated the release of 20 hostages from Hamas captivity, taken exactly two years earlier on this same holiday.